The Way SotL Should Have Been
by Lady Trek
Summary: Just as the title says, my take on the 'real' ending to SotL...that Harris and Demme forgot ^_^ The Morning after Clarice found Raspaill's head, before the fake Senator Martin offer was made.
1. The Screaming Lambs

*A/N This is another that I thought up when I was supposed to be doing school work. If it doesn't make any sense, blame my Geometry teacher who was talking at the time. Math is ebil, ebil I tell you! Anywho…here it is, my SotL AU ^_^ *  
  
  
  
**********  
  
The soft click of heeled shoes sounded down the hallway of the Violent Men's Ward. Doctor Lecter immediately knew who it was that was approaching his cell. He stood and waited for her to come like he did the first time she came.  
  
As soon as she was in front of his cell, she stopped and bowed her head in a polite greeting.  
  
"Good morning, Doctor Lecter. I hope I have not disturbed you, sir. He bowed his head slightly in response to her, and motioned to the chair folded against the wall.  
  
"I find it rather odd that you would visit me so soon after our last meeting, Agent Starling. I thought our business together was concluded. That is, unless you plan on wheedling more information about Billy out of me." At his words, she visibly stiffened in her seat.  
  
"No sir. I came to deliver the case file you asked for." She put it into the sliding food carrier and gently pushed it though. He looked at her for a few moments then retrieved it from the tray.  
  
Upon opening it, he saw a sheet of stationary, not nearly as expensive as he would have use, written on in what he assumed to be Starling's handwriting.  
  
Doctor Lecter,  
  
This might appear a bit odd to you, sir, but I have decided to get you out of prison. I have a plan but I don't feel safe enough to elaborate. Suffice it to say, be ready.  
  
C. Starling  
  
He slightly raised one eyebrow, but other than that made no indication that he had seen the note. He closed the folder and set it down on his table.  
  
Thank you, Clarice."  
  
"Can you tell me anything from the file, sir?" she asked calmly.  
  
"Quid pro quo, Clarice. I tell you something, you tell me something."  
  
"Alright doctor, go ahead."  
  
"What is your worst memory of childhood" he asked as he sat back in his seat.  
  
"The death of my father." She said bluntly, and almost instantaneously. He simply nodded and inclined his head as if to tell her to continue.  
  
'I was ten years old. My father was the town Marshall, and one night he surprised some thugs coming out of a liquor store. His gun jammed, and they shot him. My mother had died when I was little, so my father was the world to me. When he died,, I was sent to live with my Mother's Brother's ranvh in Montana."  
  
"Was it a horse and cattle ranch?" he asked.  
  
"Sheep and horses."  
  
"And how long did you live there?"  
  
"Two months"  
  
"Why so short, Clarice?"  
  
"One night…I just ran away."  
  
"Not Just, Clarice. Did the rancher sodomize you, Clarice? Did he make you perform for lace show?" Doctor Lecter asked.  
  
"No…he was a decent man, a good man."  
  
"Something woke you, what was it?"  
  
"Screaming…I heard children screaming."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"Lambs…they were screaming" she said, her voice full of emotion.  
  
"They were slaughtering the spring lambs…" Doctor Lecter said as he steepled his hands in his lap.  
  
Clarice nodded. "And they were screaming. I decided to free them. I crept out of my room, and to the barn. They were all huddled together, screaming. I opened the gate and tried to free them, but they wouldn't run! So I took one, and I ran with her. But it was so cold… and she was so heavy. I didn't get very far before the sheriffs car pulled me over. The rancher was so angry, he sent me to the Lutheran Orphanage." Clarice said barely holding back a sob.  
  
"What happened to your lamb, Clarice?" Doctor Lecter asked.  
  
"They killed it." She swallowed hard, then sat up in her seat. "Quid pro quo, Doctor."  
  
"Simplicity, Clarice. Read Marcus Aurelius and the First Principles. What does he do, this man you seek." He asked.  
  
"He kills women." She said.  
  
"No...that is coincidental."  
  
"He-"  
  
"He Covets. And how do we begin to covet?"  
  
"We just-"  
  
"We begin by what we see everyday. Don't you feel eyes foaming over your body, Clarice. And don't your eyes seek out what you want?" he closed his eyes and let the tip of his tongue touch his upper lip, barely on the outside of his mouth.  
  
"What is his name, Doctor?"  
  
Doctor Lecter opened his eyes and looked towards the picture on his wall of the Duomo.  
  
"Have you ever wanted to travel, Clarice?" he asked bringing his focus and attention back towards her.  
  
"Yes. I've always wanted to travel to Europe. I know that if I get up height enough in the Bureau they'll let me travel. But I want to be able to travel without the F.B.I. over my shoulder."  
  
"If you ever do get a chance to travel, Clarice, I recommend you go to Florence. The Belvedere is an especially beautiful place. Now, Clarice, I believe it is time for you to take your leave."  
  
Clarice was quiet, thinking, as she stood and bowed her head once more in a polite farewell.  
  
"Thank you, Doctor Lecter. Good day." She turned and walked out of the corridor, not stopping until she was 'safe' within her pinto. Only then did she stop and think of what he said.  
  
*A/N What did you think? Should I continue…or should I erase it? Lemme know! ~Lady Trek 


	2. Road Trip

A/N I'm back! No! Stay! ^_^ (I'm very easily amused, you see) Chapter 2 is up. Hopefully, it'll be better than the last. I'm not too proud of how that one flowed…but as my choir director says, a bad rehearsal is better than a bad performance.  
  
**********  
  
Later that night, Clarice paced around in her laundry room. She had been thinking of what he said all day. OF course Billy couldn't be in Florence, it'd be a bit too cumbersome to kill the women in another country, then ship the bodies overseas and place them. That meant he had to have given her the clues by another means. But how?  
  
Clarice sighed and sat down at her desk to compose her 'suicide' note. She spent the rest of the night in bed, going over her plans in her head over and over until she finally fell asleep.  
  
The next morning, when she awoke, she put on her best business suit and her best shoes. She made sure that she had everything she needed and then walked into the cool morning air. As she started her Pinto, she silently prayed that she was doing the right thing.  
  
**********  
  
By the time she arrived at the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane and checked in, Doctor Lecter was already suited up and strapped in to his gurney. As she descended into that damp corridor, she was immensely grateful that today was Chilton's day off. It would be much easier without his constant hovering over her shoulder.  
  
"Good morning, gentleman. I have a warrant to question your charge. Confidential business, so if we could use one of the offices upstairs, I'd be grateful." She said with a slight accent.  
  
"Uhh, sure Agent…what was your name, I didn't catch it."  
  
"Starling. Agent Starling." She said with a smile.  
  
"Of course. We'll move him to the office next to Chilton's. Though how you'll get him to talk is beyond me. Lars, go with Agent Starling and bring Lecter with you."  
  
"Thank you" Starling told the orderly.  
  
Not 5 minutes later, the three of them entered an office upstairs. Clarice turned to the orderly.  
  
"Thank you, but I can handle him from here."  
  
"You sure ma'am? I'd be more than happy to stay and watch him for you while you ask the questions" he said as his eyes slid up and down her body.  
  
"No, I'll be quite alright. Thank you..." she said calmly as he leered at her. With a sigh, he left the office, and shut the door behind him.  
  
Once he was gone she spent a few moments checking the office for bugs. Satisfied that there were none, she started towards Lecter.  
  
"Doctor Lecter, I am going to remove your restraints. I would appreciate it if you would not try to harm me until we are safely away from here, sir. Is that alright?" she asked. He nodded and she started unbuckling his mask, then his straightjacket and bindings. Once she finished, she stepped back and picked up her briefcase. She opened it, and pointed to the clothes inside.  
  
"I took the liberty of getting you a nurses uniform so you could safely exit the building. I'm sure you'll blend in," she said as she stepped back some, making the briefcase look like an offering to some god.  
  
"I'll put my head in the corner over there" she indicated the one farthest from the doctor. "I won't turn around until you tell me, Scouts Honor," she said before smirking and turning into the corner.  
  
"Why are you doing this, Clarice?" he asked as he changed.  
  
"I don't know Doctor." She said shortly and closed her eyes. The sound of fabric on skin made her wish desperately that she could turn around…but not with this man, not here. She'd not likely survive it if she did. And even if he didn't kill her now…he would later. With a sigh she buried that train of thought and focused on other things.  
  
"You may turn around now, Agent Starling," he said. She did so very slowly, her eyes focused on the floor in front of her feet.  
  
"There is a rental outside, rented in another name, of course. I'm afraid, for cover's sake, I'll have to tag along for a bit. But once we cross the state border, I'll…leave you, or you can do whatever to me. It doesn't matter. Let's go, if you would please," she said making a move for her briefcase again.  
  
"Lead the way, Clarice"  
  
She bowed her head again and with a deep sigh, opened the door and exited the office. She walked forward a bit until she was within other's hearing range, and started conversing as if she was talking to an old chum.  
  
"I wanna thank you, Charlie. If you hadn't of come in when ya did, I surely wouldn't be here. Or at least, not wholly." She spared a glance back at him before continuing.  
  
"So you're sure you don't mind walking an old friend to breakfast?"  
  
"Nah, I don't mind," he said in an almost identical accent to hers. She smiled and kept on walking, by now out of range of the receptionist's hearing.  
  
They exited the building, and starling went immediately to a car, and climbed into the Driver's seat. She unlocked his door and started the engine. She glanced over and saw his curious glance.  
  
"We have a few stops to make before you can take the car, sir. Or … whatever you intend to do." She said.  
  
"Trying to get me caught again by old Jacky boy, Agent Starling?"  
  
"No, Doctor Lecter. I'm sure you would have known by now if I was." She put the car in gear and drove out of the parking lot and onto the streets.  
  
"Tell me, Clarice. Do you hear them at night sometimes? Do you still wake to hear the awful screaming of the Lambs? And do you think that Saving Catherine Martin will make them stop? Oh, but you've given up on her. Though there is still me. Is that what this is, Clarice? You want to make the lambs stop by rescuing me?"  
  
"They scream Doctor. Every time I close my eyes." He nodded and focused on the road again. She took the first exit and settled comfortably into the seat. She spared a glance at Doctor Lecter and bit the inside of her cheek.  
  
"You'll probably want to take care of any complex plans after…after I'm taken care of. So all I need to do is to make sure you get out of the state all right. There's food in the back seat, not up to your standards, I'm sure, but better than you have been getting. There's a change of clothes, and 3 thousand dollars back there. Hopefully, if you use that, you will be able to get out of the country alright." She kept glancing between him and the road.  
  
"You gonna say anything, or are you just gonna sit there?" she looked at him silently watching the road. "Alrighty then. I'm going to listen to the radio for a bit, hopefully pick up any news there is so far." She thought ugly words in her head as she flipped the dial on. It rattled through a few songs, which Clarice sang along with, before Doctor Lecter had had enough. He reached out just as the special news bulletin came on the radio.  
  
"This just in! There has been an escape from the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane. It is suspected that FBI trainee Clarice Starling has aided Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter in his escape. In a letter found in Starling's house, it is written that she supposedly did this willingly, but expects anything that comes to her. There will be updates as the story unfolds. Now for a word from our sponsors…"  
  
"Doctor Lecter" he sternly told the radio announcer. Clarice shook her head, barely hiding a giggle. Doctor Lecter looked over at her again and narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Are you laughing at me, Clarice?"  
  
"No sir, I just saw a funny bumper sticker." She spared a glance at him and turned back to the road.  
  
"It is still an enigma to me why, exactly, you would do this for me. Especially when you could have had a promising, though not easy, career in the FBI. I would even venture to say that you did not do this solely for Catherine Martin. I would think that you have personal motives in this. Am I correct?" Doctor Lecter asked, still focused on her.  
  
"Yes" she said shortly. He looked at her with his impatience growing.  
  
"I…I don't know, Doctor Lecter." She said gripping the steering wheel harder.  
  
"I think you do, Clarice. You have not lied to me before, why you would choose to do so now..." he let the sentence hang.  
  
"Okay, so I have a little bit of personal gain. It shouldn't matter, you're free!"  
  
"It matters a great deal, Clarice. I do not like the smell of pity. Especially coming from you."  
  
"It's not pity, damnit! You have the most powerful nose yet you can't smell what's right in front of you. No. I do not pity you, rather your previous residence in the dungeon. I do not agree with some of the things you have done, but I don't agree that you're an insane person. And besides, I doubt that you would have stayed anywhere like that for very much longer, anyway. At least this way I'm the only one that gets killed." Clarice said angrily. Doctor Lecter stared at Clarice, his eyes afire with barely concealed rage.  
  
"Control yourself, Clarice. I do not appreciate being talked to in such a rude manner."  
  
Clarice pouted her lips, but said nothing. Doctor Lecter watched her as she drove. H waited a few more minutes before talking again.  
  
"You're so sure I will kill you. What makes you believe that?" He asked.  
  
"Just the fact that I am a rube. I'm quite sure that you'll come to that conclusion soon enough. I don't think a man of your tastes would stoop to being in my presence for more than is absolutely necessary." She said shortly. Doctor Lecter didn't respond, but instead turned and looked out the window. 


End file.
